Wisconsin Badgers
15-6,7-3Big Ten
Minnesota
10-11,3-7Big Ten
Badgers come back to overtake Minnesota, 67-63
January 28, 2026 | Men's Basketball
UW matches largest second-half comeback in school history
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men's basketball team erased an 18-point halftime deficit to beat Minnesota, 67-63, on Wednesday at the Kohl Center. It's tied for the largest second-half comeback in school history, and marks UW's 11th-straight win over rival Minnesota - its longest streak in program history.
John Blackwell had a game-high 23 points, including three second-half threes, and an 11-of-14 clip from the free throw line.
Nick Boyd had 21 points of his own, pouring in 19 during the second half. His four made triples match a Badger career-high, and are the most he's made in a half at UW.
The Badgers (15-6, 7-3 Big Ten) fell behind early, trailing 35-17 at halftime, but came out of the break on a 9-0 run to gain momentum. That run led to continuous hot shooting as the Badgers went 70-percent from the field during the half. They made 9-of-15 threes, and forced eight Minnesota (10-11, 3-7 Big Ten) second-half turnovers to gain the lead.
Blackwell put the game to bed, scoring UW's last seven points which included the dagger three-pointer. He had 18 points in the second period thanks to three triples and nine makes from the charity stripe.
With the win, UW picks up its second double-digit comeback victory against the Gophers this season. Blackwell's buzzer-beater two weeks ago erased a 12-point, and lifted UW to a 78-75 victory on Jan. 13 at the Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
From the Court
Head Coach Greg Gard
On the change in halves
"We were more physically engaged. We were initiating contact, and hence obviously, on the offensive end, we were able to get to the bonus quick and play at the free throw line quite a bit in the second half. But defensively, I thought we had more bite to us than we did in the first half."
Junior John Blackwell
On the mentality down at halftime
"We couldn't put our heads down, or we were going to lose that game. Especially me, that first half was one of the worst I've had, but I told myself 'keep your head up, it's going to be alright, we'll weather through this storm.' Coach [Gard] challenged our leaders to be better, and I think we did that in the second-half. Guys stepped up like BC [Braeden Carrington] and Jack [Janicki], and then we strung a great second-half together."
Grad student Nick Boyd
On what fueled the comeback
"Our defensive edge, our focus. We were just communicating to each other more. Down in that situation -- down 18 at half -- we're just like 'when we come out, we just got to communicate and bring energy in any way we could. Our communication [was key] and being physical really changed the second half."
Up Next: Wisconsin will wrap up its homestand against Ohio State on Saturday at the Kohl Center. Tip is set for 1 p.m. on FOX. The game is sold out, but tickets are available on Seatgeek.
